Make-up tips from the master

Last Friday I joined a make-up workshop at a Dutch friend’s house, from make-up artist Alexander van der Doorn. He used to do Patricia Paay’s make-up, a Dutch socialite who’s not shy to put on quite a layer of make-up ;-)

I have three brothers, so don’t ask me how I turned into such a girlie-girl. I love to watch make-up tutorials on youtube, I used to have a students-job at a drugstore to advise people about skincare and I enjoy the different steps of putting on make-up.. Daycream as a base, concealer, foundation, powder, bronzing, blush, eyeshadow, mascara, lipgloss, lipstick.. I love it!

That being said, during this workshop with many Dutch ladies, I felt somewhat of an exception with all my steps. Many of the girls only had a bit of BB cream and hint of mascara as their make-up routine. Still, everyone of us girls wanted to learn about make-up and it’s so cool to step out of your comfort zone and try out new things. Alexander kept reminding us that it’s important to accentuate your pretty features and stay true to yourself. I couldn’t agree more. 

Make-up should never be a mask, but you can use it to enhance your beauty and personality.

Whether you’re into lots of make-up and bold colors, or you like to stick to one simple step, there’s so much to learn when it comes to make-up. I wanted to share some of the tips Alexander gave us during this great workshop:

SKINCARE

Does price make a difference? 
A tricky question. It’s often the case that pricey creams are more effective than their cheaper counterparts, but not always. You can easily compare this by looking at the list of ingredients. The reason you’re buying a skincare product, is because of the effect you want it to have on your skin, for example slowing down the aging of your skin. The active ingredient in the product will give you this effect. When you look at the list of ingredients of a product, ingredients are always listed from the highest to the lowest content in the product. When you’re buying a new cream, ask the advisor in the store what’s the active ingredient and check the list of ingredients. You want this ingredient to be high on the list and that's far more important than the price you're paying.

Oily creams?
Now that winter is coming (or has already arrived in Sweden), it can be a good idea to recharge the level of oil in the skin, so the skin remains to feel comfortable. Especially during nights you can use a rich cream, because this is the time the skin restores itself. 

CONCEALER

Undertone
For European skin, there are roughly two undertones to choose from: pink or beige. You want the color to be slightly lighter than your own skin, but ask for professional advice about the undertone you need, because it’s essential for the way it will turn out on your skin.

Dark circles
If you want to decrease the dark circles under your eyes, use the concealer on that area and a extend it a bit further down. This will optically decrease your under-eye bags, instead of drawing more attention to them.

FOUNDATION

SPF
Don’t be fooled by the level of SPF in foundations. They don’t last as long as actual sun protection or sunblocks, so you’re not as protected as you think you are. Try to use a sunblock under your make-up to protect your skin and make its beauty last longer. For the cold winter, it’s a great idea to use a winter-sports sunblock. These products are based on oil instead of water, so they will not dry out your skin.
Lancaster has great winter-sports sunblocks. According to Alexander a thin layer of sunblock is more than enough to protect you.

Oil-based foundation during winter time
It can be a good idea to use an oil-based foundation during winter time, so you’re not drying out your skin :-)

Color
Use the skin of your cheek to test the color of the foundation. Mostly, this skin is least effected by blemished, rosacea or pimples, so it’s the color you want to extend to the rest of your skin.

Light or dark?
Many people go too dark when choosing a foundation. It’s better to have a lighter foundation and add some color with a bronzer, than to have a face that’s a few shades darker than your neck. Alexander advised me to save my current color for summertime too and buy a shade lighter for this season.. OOPS! ;-)

BLUSH

Where to apply?
Apply your blush above the imaginary line from your nose to your ear.

Bronzing Powder
Are you into natural? Use a bronzing powder as a blush.

Blushy all the way
Do you like a flush blush? Then choose a color that suits your look and your mood :-)

EYEBROWS 

You want to have an uplifting effect, so when you’re drawing your eyebrows, focus especially on the top of the eyebrows.

EYES

Eye pencil:
When you use an eye pencil on the lower eye lid, draw it from about where the iris starts to the outer corner of the eye. When you’re drawing the line all the way from the inner to the outer corner, it may look too heavy and draws your eyes down, instead of up.

Eye shadow:
Use a darker color on the outer corner of the eye, a medium color for the crease and a lighter color for the eyelid. To look fresh, you can highlight the inner corner of the eye and the skin right under your eyebrows with a shimmering white eye shadow.
Use a white kohl pencil for your lower inner eyelids. It makes your eyes look bigger and it makes you look super fresh.

Mascara:
Start adding a layer of mascara on the backside of your lashes before you work the front side of your lashes. A great tip to add extra volume to your lashes!

After this workshop I have my mind set on the ‘Les 4 ombres 266’ from Chanel, so let’s all hope Santa Claus is reading my blog ;-)

MOUTH

Lip pencil for a lasting result
Using a lip pencil will make your lipstick last longer and will prevent your lipstick from running in the little creases around the lips.

Lip pencil for bigger or smaller lips
Do you want your upper lips to appear bigger? Then draw your lip pencil from the outer corner towards the top of your lips. If you want your upper lips to appear the same size or smaller? Then draw your lip pencil from the top of your lips to the outer corner.

Lipgloss
To add volume to your lips, add shiny lipgloss on the middle of your lips.

Lip color
Finding the perfect lip color can be quite a search and it's very personal. I have big lips and it often feels too much when I'm wearing a bold lip color. Alexander recommended the Estée Lauder Signature lipstick number 56, which was a super pretty terracotta color! The color was present, but still very natural.

I fell in love with the color, but found out that it's not being sold anymore :-(
As soon as I've found a good alternative, I will let you know ladies!

If you want to follow the latest trends when it comes to lip color, go for a burgundy shade with a matte finish.

These were some of the many tips Alexander gave us. I hope they're as helpful to you as they were to me. This was the end result, not bad right? ;-)

Be sure to leave a comment below, on Instagram or on Facebook and if you have a tip that needs to be added to this list, please let me know :-)

Love Mieke

P.s. Of course you can find that gorgeous Chanel eyeshadow palette by checking out the shop :-)